Kyung Hee University (KHU) Cooperatives, the new meal provider for the Global Campus Student Center, is set to replace Riaeni La Matinee. This transition appears to have raised positive expectations, as KHU Cooperatives is known for providing quality meals at the cafeteria in the Cheongwoon Building on the Seoul Campus. However, several aspects remain that the KHU community should continue to monitor.

The Global Campus General Affairs Team (GAT) shared details of the process—from its initial contact with KHU Cooperatives to key points the KHU community should consider—through a press conference. KHU media outlets, including The University Life, DaehakJubo, and Voice of University of Global Campus, participated in the interview to learn about the future plans of KHU Cooperatives.

GAT's conference room, where having the press conference

The New Meal Provider, KHU Cooperatives

Unlike other meal provision companies, KHU Cooperatives’ primary goal is to enhance the welfare of the KHU community rather than focus on profit. It reveals its operational goal on its website: “We provide the best welfare services for professors, staff, and students so they can focus on research, administrative work, and academics on campus.”

To achieve this goal, KHU Cooperatives operates under a distinct system compared to other meal provision companies. In terms of responsibility, members of the KHU community collectively manage issues as the cooperatives’ members. For instance, in cases of dissatisfaction, a typical company would bear full responsibility for any inconvenience. However, KHU Cooperatives deliberates on resolutions together with representatives of the KHU community.

Budget usage is another key difference. Companies are free to use their profits however they choose, regardless of whether they are directly related to cafeteria operations. However, KHU Cooperatives primarily uses its profits to cover operational costs.

KHU Cooperatives is currently preparing for its opening. GAT stated that they are reporting the necessary procedures to public offices for approval. Additionally, they mentioned that interior construction is underway to align the design with KHU Cooperatives’ standards. This preparation will continue until its opening day—February 17 for the faculty cafeteria and the beginning of the first semester of 2025 for the student cafeteria.

Renovating the Student Center faculty cafeteria on Feburary 12, preparing KHU Cooperatives operation

Regarding operations, KHU Cooperatives will manage the cafeterias in the same way as the Seoul Campus. The menu will be identical at the Cheongwoon Building cafeteria and the Global Campus Student Center. Furthermore, prices will be adjusted accordingly, ranging from 5,500 to 6,300 won, an increase from the previous 5,000 won. 

The Route of Becoming a New Meal Provider

This new and distinct group was selected amid a turbulent situation. Before their arrival, Riaeni La Matinee, the former meal provider for the Global Campus Student Center cafeteria, sparked outrage due to ongoing hygiene issues that began in September 2023. Various KHU community members—including faculty, students, and administrative staff—reported finding foreign substances such as plastic film, screws, and insects in their meals. Additionally, during an emergency inspection just before the interim evaluation period, GAT discovered that Riaeni La Matinee had been using expired sauces.

Due to ongoing dissatisfaction, the KHU community completely lost confidence in Riaeni La Matinee. In the interim evaluation, Riaeni La Matinee received a score of 30 out of 100, failing to meet the contract extension requirement of 70 points. Having scored between 50 and 70 in the previous three satisfaction evaluations, the drop to 30 points reflected a complete loss of trust.

While searching for a new operator to replace Riaeni La Matinee, GAT selected KHU Cooperatives from among various candidates. GAT stated that they had visited multiple universities and companies during their search. For university benchmarking, they explored institutions such as Yonsei University, Myongji University, Konkuk University, and Sejong University. For corporate meetings, they contacted Samsung Welstory, Olive Holdings, Hanwha Foodist, CJ Freshway, Ourhome, and Pulmuone Food & Culture.

Among these options, KHU Cooperatives was selected based on financial considerations and expectations. GAT explained that although they met with various meal providers, they were unable to reach an agreement on financial matters, such as meal pricing or the distribution of responsibility in case of a deficit.

Moreover, they stated that the primary reason for choosing KHU Cooperatives was President Kim Jin-sang’s commitment. GAT explained, “President Kim instructed us to ensure the same quality of welfare on both the Seoul and Global campuses, which was the key factor in our decision.”

However, GAT was not entirely pleased with the decision to choose KHU Cooperatives. GAT stated, “Selecting KHU Cooperatives was the best we could do, but not the best overall. Honestly, KHU Cooperatives was initially open to operating at the Global Campus due to employment difficulties, but some persuasion was needed.

Promising Points for the New Operator

The arrival of KHU Cooperatives is expected to bring changes to the quality of meals at the Global Campus Student Center cafeteria. KHU Cooperatives is already well known for its food quality. “Tasty Guys”, a program on Comedy  TV, introduces popular restaurants across the country, featuring a segment on the KHU Seoul Campus student cafeteria, which is operated by KHU Cooperatives.

Tasty Guys episode 56: KHU special

photo: Tasty Guys's youtube (youtube.com/@TastyGuys)

Kim Min-hwa, the Secretary General of KHU Cooperatives, also mentioned, “Our meals are known for their quality, which is the result of our continuous efforts to improve them. Since 2012, when we began directly operating the cafeteria at the Cheongwoon Building, we have allocated half of our budget to purchasing ingredients, whereas other universities typically allocate only 30 percent.” 

These reviews contrast sharply with those of Riaeni La Matinee. In previous articles published by The University Life, some KHU students expressed dissatisfaction with its food quality and safety. Moreover, Riaeni La Matinee faced criticism for its poor taste when the second semester just started in 2023. In line with this, the new meal provider, which boasts of its quality, may address the shortcomings that KHU Global Campus students experienced with Riaeni La Matinee.

Remaining Concerns

Although the KHU community was able to replace the former meal provider due to dissatisfaction, several concerns remain. Regarding hygiene, the issue may not be fully resolved. GAT expressed concern about this, stating, “KHU will have the same workers who provided meals under Riaeni La Matinee. In other words, only the management has changed, while the staff remains the same.

Another point of concern arises from the cooperatives’ structure. GAT said, “We are unsure how much we can trust KHU Cooperatives because it is a group formed specifically to meet our needs, but it lacks expertise in cafeteria operations. Moreover, since the entire KHU community shares responsibility for operational issues, we will not be able to request improvements as we did with Riaeni La Matinee when problems arise.”

Besides the previous point, GAT raised the potential impact on student support programs. They explained, “KHU received rental fees from companies operating on campus, which were used to fund student programs like overseas training programs. Changes in income will affect the programs supported by these fees.”

Lastly, GAT expressed doubts about the outcome. They said, “Despite President Kim's hope to achieve the same level of welfare on both campuses, it is not always possible to produce the same results in the same way.”

Entrance of Global Campus faculty cafeteria, where seems almost prepared to operating

This new beginning brings both hope and challenges. The new meal provider, KHU Cooperatives, has taken over the role of the former operator, Riaeni La Matinee. This transition appears to free the KHU Global Campus community from ongoing food safety concerns and allow them to enjoy improved meal quality. However, this does not mean they can now be fully relieved, as several concerns remain for the community to keep an eye on. Now, the KHU community appears to have taken on a new task: overseeing KHU Cooperatives.